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It’s that time of year again when basketball fans are so excited to see who ends up in the Final Four and who goes on to win it all. Cats don’t really care, but they do consider the following things as MADNESS!

Being obedient

Lack of attention

Things hoomans do

Not catching birds

Having a dog around

Not enough time to relax

Finding hidden toys

Having to explain themselves

Getting lost

Being dressed up

So I guess we all have our version of madness. Mine is going through withdrawal when football season is over. What’s yours?

Marion Lovato is the author of Sam, the Superkitty. Her book describes an ordinary cat changing into a superhero to protect his family from things that go bump in the night. Available on Amazon as a paperback or Kindle edition. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1604588667

We’re two weeks into the new year. How are you doing with the resolutions you made? Doing pretty good on mine, but let’s check in with some cats to see how they’re doing.

He wanted to remain adorable and handsome. I think he’ll keep that resolution!

Resourcefulness is the name of the game here. I think this cat is doing a very good job of that.

One cat wanted to be helpful by sitting on whatever I was going to pick up, but I think this cat is doing a much better job.

Another cat was going to forgive his enemies. I highly doubt that! Don’t think this cat will forgive anytime soon either.

The next resolution was exercising to stay in shape. A bit destructive, but definitely exercise!

One cat resolved to be kind to the dog. Looks like that’s going well.

Another cat was going to “learn him a book”. Doesn’t look like he’s being very patient about the whole thing.

Along that same line, one was going to learn or study a new art form. I think he’s nailed it!

All of the cats resolved to spend more time with their friends.

As if 15 hours isn’t enough, they also all resolved to get more sleep.

So far, I think the group has done pretty well with their resolutions. What do you think?

Marion Lovato is the author of Sam, the Superkitty. Her book describes an ordinary cat changing into a superhero to protect his family from things that go bump in the night. Available on Amazon as a paperback or Kindle edition. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1604588667

For humans, summer is the time to play and relax as much as possible. Go camping, golfing, fishing, take a vacation or whatever you choose to do to unwind. Cats have the luxury of being able to play every day regardless of the weather or where they are living. According to a cat behavioral consultant, Daniel Quaghozzi, from San Francisco, most domestic cats are pretty bored. We, as humans, underestimate the amount of interactive play they need on a daily basis. We get excited about a brand new toy we’ve bought them, but most of the time, they prefer the packaging it came in! Sound familiar?

Let’s take a look at some cats playing with THEIR choice of toys.

They get their exercise for the day playing with this.

Nice try, but not a good excuse!

Cardboard is always a favorite toy.

Don’t think you’d want to see this!

Or this!

Sometimes you might not even know they’ve been playing around unless………

Sometimes they want to play with “little humans”.

They might get a surprise when they play with adults.

And, of course, there’s always the dog.

To sum up, cats don’t always get excited to play with the toys we think they should.

Sometimes our cats can be too curious for their own good. And while it’s fun to watch them turn just about anything into a toy, we have to be careful about what they can get their paws on. Stringlike objects, such as yarn, can cause intestinal blockages or strangulation. Plastic bags can suffocate and the handles can get caught on a cat’s neck. Small objects could be chocking hazards. Always use your good judgement.

What kind of everyday materials does your cat like to play with? Would love to hear your stories.

Marion Lovato is the author of Sam, the Superkitty. Her book describes an ordinary cat changing into a superhero to protect his family from things that go bump in the night. Available on Amazon as a paperback or Kindle edition. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1604588667

Last week in talking about the “weirdness” of cats, I used this picture, among many.

Yes, cats remember how their kind was treated thousands of years ago.

So you accepted Fred and all of his friends. Wonder what your house would look like now. There would be the problem of where they would all sleep. You might have to do this.

Or this.

The overflow may have to sleep with you!

Well, enough of that! What else might happen?

Once they wake up, there might be a grouch among the group.

They’ll want to play.

They’ll want to look outside to see what’s going on.

They’ll have to introduce themselves to the dog.

They’ll need their exercise.

There are very different personalities among all these cats. Anything from a fraidy cat,

a shy cat,

a well educated cat,

a smart cat,

to a cat that’s just being a smarty pants!

But even through all the situations that come about, they will still love you.

After all,

Marion Lovato is the author of Sam, the Superkitty. Her book describes an ordinary cat changing into a superhero to protect his family from things that go bump in the night. Available on Amazon as a paperback or Kindle edition. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1604588667

Last week, I planned Thanksgiving dinner (with the help of my cats, of course!) This week we thought about what we are thankful for. Funny thing is, they don’t seem to be thankful for the same type of things I am. Hummm. Oh well, I’ll get to that in a minute. It’s so easy to think that we don’t have what we think we should have, but we are blessed by things everyday that we take for granted. A roof over our heads, clothes on our back, food to eat, etc. The situation in Paris has been very scary, and I’m thankful that I live in a small town where everything is pretty peaceful. The one big thing I’m thankful this year is that my mother was able to pass peacefully on September 21 and join my father who has been gone for five years. She is so much better now and at peace.

Okay, to get to the cats. Let’s start with the basics. They are, of course, grateful for the food they have to eat, but that may come with conditions.

They are grateful for a nice place to sleep, wherever that happens to be at the moment.

They are thankful for the variety of toys they have to keep themselves occupied.

One thing ALL cats, big or small, are thankful for is a box!

Most of the time, I think they’re thankful to have each other.

And then there are the other times.

One thing I know for sure is that I am thankful for them!!!!

Have a great Thanksgiving, everyone! Thank you for reading and commenting. I appreciate each and every one of you!

Marion Lovato is the author of Sam, the Superkitty. Her book describes an ordinary cat changing into a superhero to protect his family from things that go bump in the night. Available on Amazon as a paperback or Kindle edition. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1604588667

Mickey was one of several pets in the house. There were two other cats, one dog, and a parrot. All of them, except the parrot, were rescue animals. They all liked each other and played well together. The cats did their own thing, slept and played when they wanted, and pretty much ignored the humans in the house. Of course, the dog was very excited and happy to be with the humans. The bird talked a lot whether anyone was paying attention to him or not.

It seemed to Mickey that the humans talked a lot too! They were always asking questions about each other. The mother would be asking the kids what they wanted to eat, have they cleaned their room, is their homework done, did they have clothes that needed to be washed, and a hundred others. The father would ask what was for dinner, did he have clean shirts, who was going to help him with some chores, had the kids fed the pets, etc.

The kids were even worse! They had hundreds of questions everyday it seemed like. They asked a lot about food, allowances, going places with friends, and so forth. They were ALWAYS asking about why they couldn’t do something that their parents didn’t want them doing. It all seemed so silly to Mickey!! He had only one question that he wanted answered.

Marion Lovato is the author of Sam, the Superkitty. Her book describes an ordinary cat changing into a superhero to protect his family from things that go bump in the night. Available on Amazon as a paperback or Kindle edition. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1604588667

The killing of Cecil, the lion, just broke my heart. I know big-game hunting has been going on for years, but that doesn’t make it right. He was a cherished “pet” for many people. Someone in a group that I belong to said, “Why is everybody so upset over a lion when there are homeless people to worry about, etc.” That’s not the point! Guess I’m what she calls an animal activist. And proud of it, by the way. I would much rather live in a world that looks like this. (Without the snow.)

When you think of anxiety, you think it’s a human condition. However, it also affects animals. Here is a heart-warming video of a dog and a cat showing the value of friendship

I guess I’m like this kitty. I just wish this world was happier. We can all contribute to that with one positive thought, one act of kindness at a time. Hope you enjoyed all the videos and pictures of animals interacting with each other. Please share your thoughts about Cecil. Till next week, thanks for reading.

Marion Lovato is the author of Sam, the Superkitty. Her book describes an ordinary cat changing into a superhero to protect his family from things that go bump in the night. Available on Amazon as a paperback or Kindle edition. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1604588667